2000
#2,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,093
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.85
Uncommon Last name
Chavarria
A Basque habitational surname referring to a person from any of various places named Etxebarria, meaning "new house."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,579 Americans carry the last name Chavarria. That puts it at #1,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chavarria surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,656
Census rank
#1,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,946 bearers of the surname Chavarria in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chavarria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chavarria
The surname Chavarria has its origins in Spain, specifically in the Basque region. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Basque words "etxe," meaning "house," and "barri," meaning "new," indicating that the original bearers of this name may have been associated with a newly constructed house or dwelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chavarria can be found in the Becerro Gótico de Vizcaya, a medieval census document from the Basque region, dated around the 14th century. This census lists several individuals with variations of the name, such as Chave de Chavarria and Juan de Chavarria.
In the 15th century, the name Chavarria appears in various historical records from the Basque Country and neighboring regions. For instance, a document from the town of Obanos, in Navarre, dated 1479, mentions a certain Pedro de Chavarria as a landowner.
One notable person with the surname Chavarria was Juan de Chavarría y Navarra, a Spanish military commander and colonial governor who lived in the late 16th century. He was appointed as the governor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala between 1589 and 1599.
Another historically significant figure was Pedro de Chavarría Valdés, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of New Spain (present-day Mexico) under Hernán Cortés in the 16th century. He was among the first Spanish settlers in the region.
During the colonial era, the name Chavarria spread throughout the Spanish Empire, particularly in the Americas. In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Juan de Chavarría Sotomayor, a Spanish soldier and explorer who played a crucial role in the exploration and settlement of present-day Chile.
In the 18th century, Ignacio de Chavarría y Eguía was a prominent Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1756 to 1761.
Throughout history, the surname Chavarria has undergone various spelling variations, such as Chavarría, Chavarri, Chavarrie, and Chavarría, which reflect regional differences and linguistic adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chavarria
Among Census respondents with the surname Chavarria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Chavarria bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Chavarria surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.5% · 16,593
- White5.6% · 1,004
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 126
- Black or African American0.6% · 99
- Two or more races0.4% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chavarria
Chavarria appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,492
+5,399 bearers (+41.2%)
Per 100,000 6.27
Rank movement Up 581 places
2020
#1,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,946
-546 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 6.00
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,534 | 13,093 | 4.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,953 | 18,492 | 6.27 | +5,399 bearers (+41.2%) | Up 581 places |
| 2020 | #1,963 | 17,946 | 6.00 | -546 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 10 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Chavarria surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,953 | #1,963 | -0.5% |
| Count | 18,492 | 17,946 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 6.27 | 6.00 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chavarria bearers went from 18,492 to 17,946 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,953 to #1,963.
FAQ
Chavarria surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chavarria?
Name Census estimates that about 20,579 living Americans carry the surname Chavarria. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,656 residents.
How common is Chavarria?
Chavarria ranks #1,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,946 people with the surname Chavarria. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Chavarria.
Has Chavarria become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chavarria went from 18,492 recorded bearers to 17,946. That is a decrease of 546 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,953 to #1,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Chavarria?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chavarria, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chavarria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (16,593 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chavarria appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.5%), White (5.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Chavarria (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Chavarria mean?
A Basque habitational surname referring to a person from any of various places named Etxebarria, meaning "new house." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Chavarria (6.00 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Chavarria?
You can see how many people have the last name Chavarria on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.